Issued by: Ministry of Water Affairs and Forestry
It was with great shock that I heard about the flood which struck the people of Pietermaritzburg/Edenvale during the night of 25 to 26 December 1995 and which led to the drowning of an estimated 150 people.
The flood was caused by a cloudburst in the catchment of the Slangspruit which is a small tributary of the Mzinduzi river. Its catchment area is only 48 square kilometres. Umgeni Water which operates Henley dam on the Mzinduzi river noticed the incoming flash flood at 19h30 that night and immediately set off an alarm siren to warn the people living on the flood plain downstream of the dam. However the plain was flooded within 20 minutes.
The departmental recorder at the gauging station was also washed away but flood marks seem to indicate a flood of about 8 1/2 metres deep, i.e. a very major flood. Although flood control dams in general have been mooted before, this localised incident in a relative small catchment has again emphasised the Department's view that such dams are not practical and that the answer lies in avoiding settlement on flood plains as far as possible.
In terms of the Water Act, local authorities are required to mark the 1 in a 50 year occurrence frequency on all township development plans to draw developers and prospective home owner's attention to the potential flood danger. Unfortunately a major problem has arisen in many areas where informal settlements have been built on flood plains and it is estimated that about 150 000 people are at risk.
Local authorities are thus once again urged to carefully monitor the development of such informal settlements and to inform the residents of the potential danger from floods although I recognise that a definitive solution to the problem will only be possible once sufficient land is made available for settlement. Local authorities ar also urged to carefully monitor the weather so as to be able to inform such informal settlements of any potential danger.
I also would like to take this opportunity to point out that disaster relief is the responsibility of the respective provincial governments and that national disaster management is co-ordinated by the Department of Constitutional Development and Provincial Affairs. Undoubtedly actions will now be taken to alleviate the plight of the flood victims.
Lastly I and my wife want to express our deepest sympathy with those families who lost dear ones and their possessions in the disaster.
Kader Asmal Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry 27 December 1995
Enquiries: Joe Hansmann Regional Director for Kwa Zulu-Natal Tel: (031) 306 1367